Tuning Electrical Conductivity of CNT-PDMS Nanocomposites for Flexible Electronic Applications

This paper presents a study into the electrical conductivity of multi-wall carbon nanotube-polydimethylsiloxane (MWNT-PDMS) nanocomposite and their dependence on the filler concentration. It is observed that the electrical conductivity of the composites can be tailored by altering the filler concentration. Accordingly, the nanocomposites with filler weight ratio ranging from 1% to 8% were prepared and tested. Finally, the significance of results presented here for flexible pressure sensors and stretchable interconnects for electronic skin applications have been discussed

DJELOVANJE BAKTERIJSKOG CJEPIVA HOMOFERMENTACIJSKE MLIJEČNE KISELINE NA FERMENTACIJU I AEROBNU STABILNOST KUKURUZNE SILAŽE NAKNADNE SJETVE

This study was carried out to determine the effects of homofermentative lactic acid bacterial inoculant on the fermentation and aerobic stability of second crop maize silages. Maize was harvested at the milk stage. Inoculant -1174 (Pioneer®,USA) was used as homofermentative lactic acid bacterial inculant. Inoculant was applied 6.00 log10 cfu/g silage levels. Silages with no additive served as controls. After treatment, the chopped maize was ensiled in the PVC type laboratory silos. Three silos for each group were sampled for chemical and microbiological analysis on days 2, 4, 7, 14, 21, 28 and 56 after ensiling. At the end of the ensiling period, all silages were subjected to an aerobic stability test for 14 days. Neither inoculant improved the fermentation parameters of second crop maize silages. At the end of the ensiling period, inoculant increased lactobacilli and decreased yeast and mold numbers of silages. Inoculant treatment did not affect aerobic stability of silages.Svrha rada je bila utvrditi djelovanje bakterijskog cjepiva homofermentacijske mliječne kiseline na fermentaciju i aerobnu stabilnost kukuruzne silaže naknadne sjetve Kukuruz je bran u mliječnom stadiju. Upotrijebljeno je cjepivo 1174 (Pioneer®, SAD) kao homofermentacijsko cjepivo mliječne kiseline. Cjepivo je primijenjeno 6.00 log10 cfu/g razina silaže. Silaže bez aditiva poslužile su kao kontrolne. Nakon tretmana isjeckan kukuruz je siliran u laboratorijskom silosu tipa PVC. Izabrana su tri silosa za svaku skupina za kemijsku i mikrobiološku analizu 2., 4., 7., 14., 21., 28. i 56. dana nakon siliranja. Na kraju razdoblja siliranja sve su silaže podvrgnute 14 dana testiranju aerobne stabilnosti. Niti jedno cjepivo nije poboljšalo parametre fermentacije kukuruzne silaže. Na kraju siliranja cjepivo je povećalo laktobacile i smanjilo broj kvasaca i plijesni u silažama. Tretiranje cjepivom nije djelovalo na aerobnu stabilnost silaže

Dynamic phase transition properties and hysteretic behavior of a ferrimagnetic core-shell nanoparticle in the presence of a time dependent magnetic field

We have presented dynamic phase transition features and stationary-state behavior of a ferrimagnetic small nanoparticle system with a core-shell structure. By means of detailed Monte Carlo simulations, a complete picture of the phase diagrams and magnetization profiles have been presented and the conditions for the occurrence of a compensation point $T_{comp}$ in the system have been investigated. According to N\'{e}el nomenclature, the magnetization curves of the particle have been found to obey P-type, N-type and Q-type classification schemes under certain conditions. Much effort has been devoted to investigation of hysteretic response of the particle and we observed the existence of triple hysteresis loop behavior which originates from the existence of a weak ferromagnetic core coupling $J_{c}/J_{sh}$, as well as a strong antiferromagnetic interface exchange interaction $J_{int}/J_{sh}$. Most of the calculations have been performed for a particle in the presence of oscillating fields of very high frequencies and high amplitudes in comparison with exchange interactions which resembles a magnetic system under the influence of ultrafast switching fields. Particular attention has also been paid on the influence of the particle size on the thermal and magnetic properties, as well as magnetic features such as coercivity, remanence and compensation temperature of the particle. We have found that in the presence of ultrafast switching fields, the particle may exhibit a dynamic phase transition from paramagnetic to a dynamically ordered phase with increasing ferromagnetic shell thickness.Comment: 12 pages, 12 figure

Semi-Transparent Image Sensors for Eye-Tracking Applications

Image sensors hold a pivotal role in society due to their ability to capture vast amounts of information. Traditionally, image sensors are opaque due to light absorption in both the pixels and the read-out electronics that are stacked on top of each other. Making image sensors visibly transparent would have a far-reaching impact in numerous areas such as human-computer interfaces, smart displays, and both augmented and virtual reality. In this paper, we present the development and analysis of the first semi-transparent image sensor and its applicability as an eye-tracking device. The device consists of an 8x8 array of semi-transparent photodetectors and electrodes disposed on a fully transparent substrate. Each pixel of the array has a size of 60 x 140 {\mu}m and an optical transparency of 85-95%. Pixels have a high sensitivity, with more than 90% of them showing a noise equivalent irradiance < 10-4 W/m2 for wavelengths of 637 nm. As the semi-transparent photodetectors have a large amount of built-in gain, the opaque read-out electronics can be placed far away from the detector array to ensure maximum transparency and fill factor. Indeed, the operation and appearance of transparent image sensors present a fundamental shift in how we think about cameras and imaging, as these devices can be concealed in plain sight

Structure of the first representative of Pfam family PF04016 (DUF364) reveals enolase and Rossmann-like folds that combine to form a unique active site with a possible role in heavy-metal chelation.

The crystal structure of Dhaf4260 from Desulfitobacterium hafniense DCB-2 was determined by single-wavelength anomalous diffraction (SAD) to a resolution of 2.01 Å using the semi-automated high-throughput pipeline of the Joint Center for Structural Genomics (JCSG) as part of the NIGMS Protein Structure Initiative (PSI). This protein structure is the first representative of the PF04016 (DUF364) Pfam family and reveals a novel combination of two well known domains (an enolase N-terminal-like fold followed by a Rossmann-like domain). Structural and bioinformatic analyses reveal partial similarities to Rossmann-like methyltransferases, with residues from the enolase-like fold combining to form a unique active site that is likely to be involved in the condensation or hydrolysis of molecules implicated in the synthesis of flavins, pterins or other siderophores. The genome context of Dhaf4260 and homologs additionally supports a role in heavy-metal chelation

Stationary State Solutions of a Bond Diluted Kinetic Ising Model: An Effective-Field Theory Analysis

We have examined the stationary state solutions of a bond diluted kinetic Ising model under a time dependent oscillating magnetic field within the effective-field theory (EFT) for a honeycomb lattice $(q=3)$. Time evolution of the system has been modeled with a formalism of master equation. The effects of the bond dilution, as well as the frequency $(\omega)$ and amplitude $(h/J)$ of the external field on the dynamic phase diagrams have been discussed in detail. We have found that the system exhibits the first order phase transition with a dynamic tricritical point (DTCP) at low temperature and high amplitude regions, in contrast to the previously published results for the pure case \cite{Ling}. Bond dilution process on the kinetic Ising model gives rise to a number of interesting and unusual phenomena such as reentrant phenomena and has a tendency to destruct the first-order transitions and the DTCP. Moreover, we have investigated the variation of the bond percolation threshold as functions of the amplitude and frequency of the oscillating field.Comment: 8 pages, 4 figure

The structure of BVU2987 from Bacteroides vulgatus reveals a superfamily of bacterial periplasmic proteins with possible inhibitory function.

Proteins that contain the DUF2874 domain constitute a new Pfam family PF11396. Members of this family have predominantly been identified in microbes found in the human gut and oral cavity. The crystal structure of one member of this family, BVU2987 from Bacteroides vulgatus, has been determined, revealing a β-lactamase inhibitor protein-like structure with a tandem repeat of domains. Sequence analysis and structural comparisons reveal that BVU2987 and other DUF2874 proteins are related to β-lactamase inhibitor protein, PepSY and SmpA_OmlA proteins and hence are likely to function as inhibitory proteins

Structure of a putative NTP pyrophosphohydrolase: YP_001813558.1 from Exiguobacterium sibiricum 255-15.

The crystal structure of a putative NTPase, YP_001813558.1 from Exiguobacterium sibiricum 255-15 (PF09934, DUF2166) was determined to 1.78 Å resolution. YP_001813558.1 and its homologs (dimeric dUTPases, MazG proteins and HisE-encoded phosphoribosyl ATP pyrophosphohydrolases) form a superfamily of all-α-helical NTP pyrophosphatases. In dimeric dUTPase-like proteins, a central four-helix bundle forms the active site. However, in YP_001813558.1, an unexpected intertwined swapping of two of the helices that compose the conserved helix bundle results in a `linked dimer' that has not previously been observed for this family. Interestingly, despite this novel mode of dimerization, the metal-binding site for divalent cations, such as magnesium, that are essential for NTPase activity is still conserved. Furthermore, the active-site residues that are involved in sugar binding of the NTPs are also conserved when compared with other α-helical NTPases, but those that recognize the nucleotide bases are not conserved, suggesting a different substrate specificity